Liz Callaway's Holiday album is titled "Merry And Bright," and what an apt title, indeed. I cannot think of a better description to describe her voice: there is such brightness to her instrument that it is instantly cheery and effervescent. What better way then to open her album with the two versions of "Joy To The World." Her version just screams Hallelujah and Sussanah! Then she follows up with "Grown Up Christmas List," and she sings it with plaintive knowing that I had forgotten the real "melody" of this song as I have heard numerous melisma-infected versions of this. And I always look forward to a duet with her sister Ann Hampton Callaway (there's always one in each of their albums) where they do a medlette of "Silent Night/Mary Did You Know." I have said this before, but no two voices in all the world blends better together: the yellow sunniness of Liz's with Ann's mahogany hued alto. Liz's son Nicholas Callaway Foster joins the merriment in "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" (he did the arrangement) and it's a cool cool jazzy arrangeent that will makes your fingers snap instantly. And there's a beautiful melancholy in her "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" that makes one wistful and longing. And then it...ends? "Merry and Bright" is just an EP, I realize, and I suddenly am more melancholy. I wish it was a full album. Curiously, though, my iPod played her version of "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" (from her album 'Anywhere I Wander') and it somehow was the perfect end to this wonderful, if short, journey.
Am I really reading Mitch Albom's "The First Phone Call From Heaven"? I know his books are very popular, and I have sort of resisted and even snickered at them, but something - boredom? - compelled me to read this one. Well? I didn't thoroughly dislike it, but there were a couple of things that disturbed me. I thought the writing was a little too simple. I wasn't expecting literary genius, but for a heavy subject matter, a lot of things were written too matter-of-factly, without any kind of logic behind them. And, this book sure doesn't celebrate diversity - a cast of all white people in modern day America? Is Albom just playing to white middle America? But I have to admit that I stick with it, if only to find out how he would get himself out of the hole of a plot line he created. The resolution, kind of lame. I really wanted to give this a chance, it just isn't for me.
How many times can I write about Barbra Streisand's "Back To Brooklyn" concert? I wrote about it when I saw it during her concert tour, and recently I wrote about the CD, and now I am writing about tonight's Great Performances telecast on PBS. I will write about it till the day I die. It's a great show - it pulls all the right heart strings, and is all captured on screen this evening. Of course, there's nothing like watching Streisand. In a stadium filled with almost 20,000 people, you feel like she is singing to you alone. Modern artists fill there show with all kinds of effects, but here it is just Streisand and her orchestra on stage, and she fills that stage with her star power. She moves somewhat awkwardly, but you don't need choreography when she is singing "People" with all honesty and vulnerability. Again, the simplicity of "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered, " for example is more than enough to touch every single person at Barclays Center. There's just something about her, and her way with a song. Even the non-fan can truly appreciate her artistry here. Every mother can latch on to her duet with her son, Jason Gould as they duet "How Deep Is The Ocean." Every conscientious citizen will be able to relate to "Make Our Garden Grow," and any lover of music can appreciate song after song after song of Streisand's 'like buttah' voice.
Maybe it's because of my want to be near body of water, but it's cold and I just read a summer novel: Joanna Philbin's Rules Of Summer. It tes a story of Rory, a working-class girl who spends a summer with her aunt in the Hamptons. Her aunt works for the Rules, a very rich family. So you can more or less expect where this story goes: she falls in love with the family's soon, and we get a poor girl-rich boy love story. Half the story revolves around the Rules' daughter, Isabel, who herself has a fling with a working class boy. Philbin gives us both points of view. The book is immensely readable, and this book is perfect for a Summer afternoon by the pool. I kind of wanted something a little deeper in the book, and that may be my fault. It doesn't aspire to be anything more than it is, and for what it does, it does well.
As I got older, I became more and more interested in history. You would think that there are already enough stories written about the Second World War, but still one pops up that touches hearts again. I have not read Markus Zusak's "The Book Thief," but I know it was a huge hit in the young adult market. That gives me great hope for young readers, actually. Imagine a historical novel catching their fancy? Directed by Brian Percival, the movie version is shot like a painting - the images of 1939 are beautiful, romantic even. But we all know that this is a sad story, and honestly, quite depressing. Sophie Nelisse plays Liesl, a young girl adopted by a German couple, played by Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson (both fantastic, by the way) Liesl is an innocent young girl, but even though she doesn't know how to read, she has inquisitiveness, and intelligence. I know we are supposed to like her, but she is played by Nelisse almost antagonistically, and I found myself thinking she is causing all these problems not just for herself but also for her family. This is a powerful story, and I found myself wincing. It's funny that after all these years, these stories still resonate and affect me. The first third of the movie drags (it could use some editing, for sure) but things start to pick up after that and you will be riveted. And the end is devastating. If you are already down, steer away. But if you brave yourself f or it, this movie will make you think, and be thankful for life. It's Thanksgiving, this movie could make yours a more reflective one.
Lisa Marie Davis' "The End Game" has quite a compelling story: a fifteen year old,Micah, meets someone, and he thinks this is the boy of his dreams, but things quickly get very dark. Cut to fifteen years later, and we can see how his traumatic past has affected him and how he has put his guards up against finding love. I was instantly hooked, as the story line felt unique. He opens his heart to his boss, Harrison Harper, who has been pining for him, and just as he starts to accept love again in his life, his past comes back to haunt him. I wish the story was more formed, it had the potential of being so much more. As such, we get a run-of-the-mill romance story, with pulp elements. (The sex scenes are almost hilarious) This would be good just to pass time, but then I never expected anything else from it. (78)
I am a shower gel whore. If you go to my shower, you will see a myriad of choices, and I "match" what I use with my mood, and what perfume I will be wearing that day. So I just had to try the limited edition release "Rose Jam" from Lush. truth be told, I used to love Lush, but their vegan, "fresh" products just got a little too "weird" for me. Still, a rose-scented shower gel? I am so there. This isn't an old-fashioned rose though. It's a delicious "jammy" one - it smells good enough to eat, as it is infused with goji berry- and the vanilla pods give it extra weight. This is a dark rose, and it is intense, and could be quite heavy. The conditioning oils make your skin feel silky-smooth, and after the shower, the rose scent lingers but really does not overpower. It is the perfect layer product if you are wearing a rose scent for the day. For example, yesterday I wore Serge Lutens' "La Fille du Berlin' and it gave the scent softness. La Fille Du Berlin has a slight metallic note, and this gave iit just a little cushion. Rose Jam has become a perfumista favortie. I have read countless positive reviews. Plus, this is a limited edition release, and will not be available after December 25. Boo. I may now have to get the matching Rose Jam perfume (which is also limited edition, natch)
Today while at the movies I saw a preview of Wes Anderson's newest movie. Everyone in the theater was laughing, but I did not even crack a smile. I felt that way about his movie "The Royal Tannenbaum," and I know a lot of people who would put that movie on top of their all-time lists. I thought of this after reading John Green's "An Abundance Of Katherines." I just didn't get this book. I thought the characters were inauthentic and never believed them for a moment. The road trip that Coin and Hassan took did not sound real, or adventurous to me, and their destination sounded so fake. I just chuck this all to not being able to identify with the characters in the book. I thought Colin would be a hopeless romantic based on his character's description, but I wasn't convinced he was by the way he as written. I found this to be a huge disappointment because I the other Green book I read, "The Fault In Our Stars" was superb. (78)
I am going to try to objectively write about Bravo's new show "Styled To Rock" You see, I have an irrational dislike for Rhianna, and she is executive producing this show. So, yes, I am going to get that out of the way. I feel better now. Ever since Bravo lost "project Runway" to Lifetime, they have struggled to get a fashion competition show, and in my opinion, their demographic is the perfect match for a show about fashion. So enter this show, which is a reboot of one in the UK. It took me an episode or two to "get" the format, and I like it. The challenges are given out in the beginning of the show, but only an x number gets pulled out and shown to the judges. More or less, every week the contestants are given a celebrity judge, and they are to create a look for that person. The celebrities are impressive: Kylie Minogue, Miley Cyrus, and Carly Rae Jepsen have shown up.
But there's something here that looks "low rent" to me. For example, I don't think the designer pool is as talented. Episode after episode, I have seen more bad designs that good ones. And, I think the show suffers from not being set in New York City, which gives a more "Fashion Capital" feel (and access to more prestigious designer judges) I do realize, that this show is more celebrity based than fashion centric. The grand prize for the winner would be part of Rhianna's fashion team, and that is a much different goal than being chose to show at New York Fashion week. Plus, and this is a shallow observation, the designer pool is considerable less telegenic.
I am five episodes in, after binge watching it, and am sort of hooked. What I like most is the revolving door of celebrity guests, and having them choose and interact with the designers. The hosts aren't really making an impression with me, but the process is kind of interesting. I just need to throw away my NYC fashion bias, and I could really enjoy this.
Mary Simses' "The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe" starts out great: a woman falls from the deck of the beach and almost drowns, saved by a handsome carpenter. Talk about meeting cute. You just know that they are destined for each other. But of course, there will be complications: The woman, Ellen Branford is already engaged to be married to Hayden Croft, a member of a family with political dynasty. So you and I both know where this is going, right? Simses is a much better writer than one who gives us obvious set-ups, though I wish there were more surprises. I know that Ellen could be a character who may not be as liked, but she loves the Great American Songbook, and that's just fine by me. This is a sweet, pleasant read, nothing more and nothing less.
So I go from reviewing one Matthew (McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club) to Matthew Morrison and his new Christmas EP, "A Classic Christmas." It's always nice to get a new release from Morrison, as I like his voice. I think I have said this before, but I think he has a "handsome" voice. It's hard to explain, and this is just a personal thing, but he has one of those voices where you hear it and you just know that the person possessing the voice is very good-looking. Well, just look at the album cover above and you can't deny that in this particular instance, my theory stands. He sings these classic songs very well, and you will do well playing these songs while trimming your tree. Produced by Phil Ramone, the album sounds great. I wish, though, that the arrangements were a little bit more adventurous. They showcase his voice well, and he successfully navigates these standards. "O Holy Night," sung with a choir, stirs, and I like the pairing of "I'll Be Home For Christmas" with "Meli Kalikimaka," where he gives the song a sort of surfer dude vibe. A good album to add to your Holiday collection.
After seeing "Dallas Buyer's Club," I had an uneasy feeling. I couldn't really pinpoint why I didn't enjoy the movie. It was an interesting story, and I kind of liked Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto's performances, but all in all, the movie fell flat for me. Then I remembered that a friend posted this article, an editorial from Huffington Post titled Not Buying Dallas Buyer's Club and it clicked why. Although it is pointed out in the movie that Ron Woodroff (McConaughey's character) got the buyer's club idea from a New York Times article, it just wasn't pointed out that there were a lot of people working towards the same goal. Yes, I know that this movie is about Woodroff, but I got this impression that he is one of a few people who was carrying on in the AIDS crusade when yes, I saw with my own eyes a lot of the AIDS activism in the early 90s. (I even once accidentally attended an ACT-UP meeting) But back to the movie: While I respect the fact that Hollywood is now embracing AIDS movies, I found the script to be predictable. You knew each turn the story would take, and Leto and Jennifer Garner's characters are thrown away to serve points in the story rather than enriching it. And yes, McConaughey gives a brave performance, but to me, it seems too calculated, as if he is begging for an Oscar. Leto fares better as the drag queen Rayon, but, again I felt it underwritten and weak. Garner annoyed the hell out of me - she had this expression in her face throughout the movie: you know, the one where she looks like she is scowling thinking of her next line. Perhaps I had high expectations. This got almost universally raves. I wanted to like it, but felt the film was hallow.
Sometimes you don't have to read a whole long book to tell a love story. Kaje Harper's novella tells of a sweet one between Jack and Sean. Jack is a college student in Iowa, and Sean is a townie. In the midst of a townie vs college student brawl, they meet, and later on fall in love. And of course, just like any story set in the past (this one is from 1981) you will get the usual hurdles: parent against one being gay, society distaste. I still feel that woman's touch in the handling of the story. I can almost always tell if a gay man is writing about a love story, as opposed to a woman. But this is harmless, and short enough to be worth a quick read.
This morning had cold temperatures, and I just wished I were in Hawaii. I wanted to be in a hammock by a tropical lanai, gazing at waterfalls, taking a dip in silky blue waters. Whenever I feel like this, I scent myself with either one of two perfumes: Kai ( which I review here ) or, as I did this morning, Histoires de Parfums 1804. This as one prominent note: pineapple. Before Creed's Aventus, there was this. I remember at the time I thought it was quite novel, and this is pineapple in the classiest way. I wish I had Aventus in my wardrobe to compare this with. I sampled Aventus and like it, but have to properly wear the scent to fully experience it. But back to 1804, the prominent pineapple note is front and center here, from the first spritz, and stays to the dry down. The initial burst of pineapple is joined by some peach, and a flower bouquet of rose, ylang ylang, and gardenia, and this rounds up the fragrance. That, I think is the beauty of this scent. The flowers frame the fruit, making it quite a unique fruity floral. As the perfume develops further, the pineapple is still prominent, but now some musk comes in, and the sweetness gets more weight, though it never gets dark. There's just a hint of patchouli that brings the earthiness here, making the tropical vibe even more authentic. Imagine picking the pineapples from dirt soil. The sillage is strong, and the longevity is like stealth. You have to have a bit of personality to pull this off, it's kind of loud and calls attention to itself. This is definitely not for everyone, but for the right person, this pineapple is super juicy!
Vanessa Curtis' "Zelah Green,"book tackles a common disease: OCD, as experienced by a teenager of the same name. It's a short narrative about a teenager suffering from the disease which manifested after she loses her mother. While this is a serious issue, Green's hand is light, and most of the novel is quite funny. It's a cute way of looking at something that affects a lot of people in some way or another, I found it never really resolved the issue for her character. At the end of the book, things are till kind of up in the air. Then I find out that there is a #2 in the series, and I hope things are resolved better there.
